How Historical Fiction Brings Forgotten Women to Life | Cinda Gault

Send us Fan MailHow can historical fiction bring forgotten women back to life—and what can their courage teach women today?In this fascinating episode of Women Like Me Stories & Business, Julie Fairhurst sits down with Canadian author and speaker Cinda Gault to explore historical fiction, courageous female characters, women’s history, creative writing, and the power of telling stories that official records left behind.Cinda shares her remarkable journey from helping establish a rape crisis center and domestic violence shelter to working as a prison guard, earning a PhD in English, teaching Canadian literature, and becoming a published author.Her historical novels celebrate adventurous women who refuse to accept the lives prescribed for them. Through stories inspired by women such as Isobel Gunn and Marie-Anne Gaboury, Cinda reveals how research and imagination can restore depth, humanity, and possibility to women who were barely acknowledged in historical records.In this conversation, Julie and Cinda discuss:Why brave and unconventional women make compelling charactersHow historical fiction can recover women’s forgotten storiesIsobel Gunn’s decision to disguise herself as a man in 1806Marie-Anne Gaboury’s journey into Canada’s fur-trade countryWhy women’s experiences were often recorded through men’s eyesAnnie Oakley, Gabriel Dumont, the Jesse James Gang, and the Louis Riel RebellionThe difference between wanting to write and becoming a writerWhy real life cannot simply be placed on a page and called a storyHow structure, editing, and professional guidance strengthen a bookWhat rejection taught Cinda about becoming a published authorWhy women sometimes limit themselves through other people’s expectationsThe responsibility that comes with personal freedomArtificial intelligence, critical thinking, and the future of storytellingWhat Cinda hopes her granddaughters inherit from earlier generations of womenCinda also shares candid advice for women who want to write their life stories but feel inexperienced, intimidated, or afraid to begin.She explains why there is an important difference between journaling for personal healing, writing one meaningful book, and developing the long-term craft required to become a professional writer. Her message is honest: your story matters, but turning life into a book requires choices, structure, skill, and a willingness to leave some things out.Cinda is the author of:This Godforsaken PlaceA Small CompassEverything I Hope ForPast ConvictionsHer work blends Canadian history, courageous women, adventure, romance, resistance, and the timeless struggle to build a meaningful life. Her official website lists these novels and describes her work as historical fiction centred on women’s adventures, courage, autonomy, and possibility.If you enjoy conversations about women’s history, historical fiction, writing books, strong female characters, Canadian history, personal freedom, and women finding their voices, this episode is for you.Subscribe to Women Like Me Stories & Business for inspiring life stories, practical business tools, writing guidance, and honest conversations with experts and courageous women from around the world.Come for the conversation. Leave with a story, lesson, or idea that helps you move forward.Learn more about Cinda Gault:website: https://www.cindagault.comFB: CindaGaultInstagram: @Cinda GaultX: Cinda GaultStory Coaching. Sales Confidence. Podcast Visibility.Linkedin: Cinda GaultSubscribe to Julie Fairhurst and Women Like Me:@juliefairhurstWLMIf this conversation stirred something in you… good. That’s where change begins.Make sure you’re subscribed, share this with someone who needs it, and if you’re ready to tell your story, step into your voice, or build a life that actually feels like yours… You’re in the right place.I’m Julie Fairhurst, and this is where stories turn into power.Go to my website if you would like to be a guest on the Women Like Me Stories & Business in the toolbar click Let's PodcastJulie's Website